1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:08,860 Speaker 1: Life Audio. The Bible Study Podcast, Episode 989. Today, the 2 00:00:08,900 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: Bible Study Podcast continues the study of the book of 3 00:00:11,820 --> 00:00:23,849 Speaker 1: Exodus with Chapter 33. Welcome to the Bible Study Podcast. 4 00:00:23,910 --> 00:00:27,069 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We're going to continue on 5 00:00:27,110 --> 00:00:30,990 Speaker 1: with Chapter 33 after this big incident with the golden calf, 6 00:00:31,420 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: But first a word from this sponsor. Exodus 33 Then 7 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:38,900 Speaker 1: the Lord said to Moses, Leave this place, you and 8 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:41,659 Speaker 1: the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go 9 00:00:41,700 --> 00:00:45,020 Speaker 1: to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, 10 00:00:45,100 --> 00:00:48,100 Speaker 1: and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. 11 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: I will send an angel before you to drive out 12 00:00:51,050 --> 00:00:56,710 Speaker 1: the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go up 13 00:00:57,790 --> 00:01:00,310 Speaker 1: to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I 14 00:01:00,350 --> 00:01:02,830 Speaker 1: will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people, 15 00:01:02,930 --> 00:01:05,460 Speaker 1: and I might destroy you on the way. When the 16 00:01:05,500 --> 00:01:09,179 Speaker 1: people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn, and 17 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: no one put on any ornaments. For the Lord had 18 00:01:12,100 --> 00:01:16,060 Speaker 1: said to Moses, Tell the Israelites you are a stiff-necked people. 19 00:01:16,610 --> 00:01:18,750 Speaker 1: If I were to go with you, even for a moment, 20 00:01:19,230 --> 00:01:22,410 Speaker 1: I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments, and 21 00:01:22,450 --> 00:01:25,030 Speaker 1: I will decide what to do with you. So the 22 00:01:25,110 --> 00:01:30,340 Speaker 1: Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb. Now, it's interesting. 23 00:01:30,940 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: Why are they stripping off their ornaments? Well, you may 24 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: remember that it was the ornaments that they used to 25 00:01:35,819 --> 00:01:38,980 Speaker 1: make the golden calf. So that certainly could be something 26 00:01:39,050 --> 00:01:42,709 Speaker 1: related to this. Certainly could be a reminder of what 27 00:01:42,750 --> 00:01:45,770 Speaker 1: they just did. But this is not good news. They're 28 00:01:45,790 --> 00:01:47,970 Speaker 1: told that he won't go with them because he might 29 00:01:48,170 --> 00:01:52,470 Speaker 1: destroy them. There's definitely a fear of God, awesome God 30 00:01:52,570 --> 00:01:56,180 Speaker 1: sort of moment here. And they're still going to be 31 00:01:56,460 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: sent with the angel who's going to drive out all 32 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,580 Speaker 1: of the other people, the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Pezzorites, and 33 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,130 Speaker 1: all of them. So it's not that the plan has changed, 34 00:02:06,650 --> 00:02:09,089 Speaker 1: but God is still a little bit mad at them. 35 00:02:09,870 --> 00:02:15,690 Speaker 1: And they were distressed. These were distressing words. Continuing on, 36 00:02:15,710 --> 00:02:18,209 Speaker 1: the Tent of Meeting. Now Moses used to take a 37 00:02:18,250 --> 00:02:20,970 Speaker 1: tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, 38 00:02:21,470 --> 00:02:24,430 Speaker 1: calling it the Tent of Meeting. Anyone inquiring of the 39 00:02:24,470 --> 00:02:26,790 Speaker 1: Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 40 00:02:27,230 --> 00:02:29,510 Speaker 1: And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the 41 00:02:29,530 --> 00:02:32,030 Speaker 1: people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, 42 00:02:32,470 --> 00:02:35,710 Speaker 1: watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went 43 00:02:35,790 --> 00:02:38,090 Speaker 1: into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down 44 00:02:38,190 --> 00:02:41,269 Speaker 1: and stay at the entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. 45 00:02:41,730 --> 00:02:43,890 Speaker 1: Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at 46 00:02:43,910 --> 00:02:46,070 Speaker 1: the entrance of the tent, they all stood and worshiped 47 00:02:46,230 --> 00:02:48,690 Speaker 1: each at the entrance to their tent. The Lord would 48 00:02:48,730 --> 00:02:51,230 Speaker 1: speak to Moses face to face as one speaks to 49 00:02:51,290 --> 00:02:54,540 Speaker 1: a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but 50 00:02:54,580 --> 00:02:57,859 Speaker 1: his young aide Joshua, son of Nun, did not leave 51 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: the tent. So we already have the rise of the 52 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:05,210 Speaker 1: importance of Joshua, and Joshua will eventually take over from Moses, 53 00:03:05,250 --> 00:03:08,810 Speaker 1: so that's not too surprising. And Joshua will be a 54 00:03:08,889 --> 00:03:11,310 Speaker 1: great leader, but that would be in the book of Joshua, 55 00:03:11,350 --> 00:03:14,780 Speaker 1: so we won't get to that in this study. But 56 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,060 Speaker 1: this tent of meeting here, which I think is the 57 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:21,750 Speaker 1: same as the tabernacle here, because we're basically meeting God there, 58 00:03:21,780 --> 00:03:24,269 Speaker 1: which is what the purpose of the tabernacle is. But 59 00:03:24,310 --> 00:03:27,269 Speaker 1: Moses is going out to this tent of meeting, and 60 00:03:27,330 --> 00:03:29,890 Speaker 1: it's pitched away from the camp. It's not pitched in 61 00:03:29,910 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: the middle of the camp. And it's pitched away from 62 00:03:32,139 --> 00:03:35,420 Speaker 1: the camp, and people can see Moses going out there. 63 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: And so they're wondering at this point, I would guess, 64 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,350 Speaker 1: what it is God's going to tell them. And so 65 00:03:42,550 --> 00:03:47,900 Speaker 1: they're worshiping, But they're also probably sitting there wondering, possibly stewing, 66 00:03:47,980 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: maybe nervous. Who knows? Depends on what's going on as 67 00:03:52,380 --> 00:03:54,420 Speaker 1: Moses goes to this tent of meeting. And I love 68 00:03:54,460 --> 00:03:56,700 Speaker 1: this thing that the Lord would speak to Moses face 69 00:03:56,740 --> 00:04:01,130 Speaker 1: to face as one speaks to a friend. Now, of course, traditionally, 70 00:04:01,210 --> 00:04:05,510 Speaker 1: this was written, these first five books were attributed to Moses. 71 00:04:06,050 --> 00:04:09,990 Speaker 1: So Moses is telling us this according to the tradition. 72 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,970 Speaker 1: And that is a very cool thing because we don't 73 00:04:14,100 --> 00:04:17,270 Speaker 1: think of this God of the Old Testament here, this 74 00:04:17,310 --> 00:04:21,909 Speaker 1: God who the people are afraid of, as this speaking 75 00:04:21,950 --> 00:04:25,510 Speaker 1: to someone as a friend. But we see in this 76 00:04:25,990 --> 00:04:28,369 Speaker 1: some of the presence of God that we'll see more 77 00:04:28,910 --> 00:04:33,210 Speaker 1: clearly later on in Jesus, obviously. Moses and the glory 78 00:04:33,250 --> 00:04:34,990 Speaker 1: of the Lord. Moses said to the Lord, you have 79 00:04:35,010 --> 00:04:37,870 Speaker 1: been telling me, lead these people, but you have not 80 00:04:37,910 --> 00:04:40,580 Speaker 1: let me know whom you will send with me. You 81 00:04:40,620 --> 00:04:42,860 Speaker 1: have said, I know you by name and you have 82 00:04:42,900 --> 00:04:45,039 Speaker 1: found favor with me. If you are pleased with me, 83 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: teach me your ways so that I may know you 84 00:04:47,580 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this 85 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: nation is your people. The Lord replied, my presence will 86 00:04:54,460 --> 00:04:57,229 Speaker 1: go with you and I will give you rest. Then 87 00:04:57,270 --> 00:04:59,589 Speaker 1: Moses said to him, if your presence does not go 88 00:04:59,630 --> 00:05:02,270 Speaker 1: with us, do not send us up from here. How 89 00:05:02,290 --> 00:05:05,430 Speaker 1: will anyone know that you are pleased with me and 90 00:05:05,870 --> 00:05:08,610 Speaker 1: your people unless you go with us? What else will 91 00:05:08,650 --> 00:05:11,610 Speaker 1: distinguish me and your people from all the other people 92 00:05:11,730 --> 00:05:14,270 Speaker 1: on the face of the earth? And the Lord said 93 00:05:14,290 --> 00:05:16,190 Speaker 1: to Moses, I will do the very thing you have 94 00:05:16,310 --> 00:05:18,550 Speaker 1: asked because I am pleased with you and I know 95 00:05:18,589 --> 00:05:21,770 Speaker 1: you by name. Then Moses said, now show me your glory. 96 00:05:22,390 --> 00:05:24,510 Speaker 1: And the Lord said, I will cause all my goodness 97 00:05:24,540 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: to pass in front of you and I will proclaim 98 00:05:27,460 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have 99 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have 100 00:05:32,420 --> 00:05:35,710 Speaker 1: compassion on whom I will have compassion. But he said, 101 00:05:35,770 --> 00:05:37,980 Speaker 1: you cannot see my face for no one can see 102 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 1: me and live. Then the Lord said, there is a 103 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: place nearby where you may stand on a rock. When 104 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,420 Speaker 1: my glory passes by, I will put you in a 105 00:05:45,460 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand 106 00:05:48,110 --> 00:05:50,650 Speaker 1: until I have passed by. Then I will remove my 107 00:05:50,710 --> 00:05:52,770 Speaker 1: hand and you will see my back, but my face 108 00:05:53,029 --> 00:05:56,550 Speaker 1: must not be seen. So Moses, again, having one of 109 00:05:56,589 --> 00:05:59,910 Speaker 1: these conversations with the Lord, apparently one of these conversations 110 00:06:00,130 --> 00:06:03,919 Speaker 1: as with a friend, and he's saying, you really need 111 00:06:03,940 --> 00:06:07,020 Speaker 1: to go with us. You really need to go with us. Otherwise, 112 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 1: how will we be different from any other people? And 113 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,180 Speaker 1: the Lord says, okay, I will do that because I'm 114 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:16,180 Speaker 1: pleased with you. I'm pleased with Moses, and I know 115 00:06:16,220 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: you by name. And then Moses asked this thing, I 116 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: want to see the presence of God. I want to 117 00:06:22,460 --> 00:06:26,330 Speaker 1: see you, and I want to see you face to face. 118 00:06:26,550 --> 00:06:29,130 Speaker 1: If we're on such good terms, I want to see 119 00:06:29,150 --> 00:06:35,610 Speaker 1: your face. And God says, you can't. because you can't 120 00:06:35,690 --> 00:06:38,210 Speaker 1: see my face and live. But I also like this line, 121 00:06:38,230 --> 00:06:40,990 Speaker 1: I will cause all my goodness to pass in front 122 00:06:41,029 --> 00:06:46,900 Speaker 1: of you. When he asked to see God's glory, God 123 00:06:46,980 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: responds with his goodness. Now, when we think of glory 124 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,070 Speaker 1: and when people think of glory, we don't usually think 125 00:06:55,110 --> 00:06:57,810 Speaker 1: of goodness. We don't think of people who are glory 126 00:06:57,850 --> 00:07:03,430 Speaker 1: seekers as seeking goodness, right? Those are two very different things. 127 00:07:04,740 --> 00:07:07,890 Speaker 1: but it is the goodness of God that is glorious. 128 00:07:09,250 --> 00:07:12,730 Speaker 1: And so God is a compassionate God, a merciful God 129 00:07:12,750 --> 00:07:14,810 Speaker 1: who I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, 130 00:07:15,190 --> 00:07:18,820 Speaker 1: of compassion on whom I will have compassion. I'll cause 131 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,100 Speaker 1: all my goodness to pass in front of you and 132 00:07:21,140 --> 00:07:26,140 Speaker 1: I will proclaim my name. So that implies that if 133 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: we are people of God, we're not called to seek 134 00:07:30,290 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: glory in the world's definition of glory, but we're called 135 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:38,310 Speaker 1: to seek goodness, to practice goodness, to be good to 136 00:07:38,350 --> 00:07:42,430 Speaker 1: those around us, to be providing mercy and compassion to 137 00:07:42,470 --> 00:07:47,870 Speaker 1: the people around us. And so God puts Moses in 138 00:07:47,890 --> 00:07:51,410 Speaker 1: a cleft in the rock and then covers him with 139 00:07:51,430 --> 00:07:54,570 Speaker 1: his hand and then he passes by and Moses gets 140 00:07:54,650 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: to see just his back. And even that experience we'll 141 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:03,490 Speaker 1: see in a next chapter has a change in on 142 00:08:03,530 --> 00:08:08,770 Speaker 1: the appearance of Moses, as a change on Moses. Because 143 00:08:09,390 --> 00:08:12,710 Speaker 1: just even that experience of seeing the back of God 144 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:21,500 Speaker 1: is a transformative experience. The more we spend time with God, 145 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:24,780 Speaker 1: the more we spend time in Bible study, in prayer, 146 00:08:25,220 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: in community, in worship, the more we too are transformed 147 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:35,740 Speaker 1: by that experience. The New Testament says part of the 148 00:08:35,790 --> 00:08:38,220 Speaker 1: job of the Holy Spirit is to transform us to 149 00:08:38,260 --> 00:08:42,219 Speaker 1: be more like God, to sanctify us, to make us holy, 150 00:08:42,540 --> 00:08:47,479 Speaker 1: to make us set apart for God's use. And we, 151 00:08:47,700 --> 00:08:52,270 Speaker 1: like Moses, are changed by those times that we spend 152 00:08:52,410 --> 00:08:54,350 Speaker 1: with the Lord. And with that, we're going to end 153 00:08:54,390 --> 00:08:56,670 Speaker 1: this episode of the Bible Study Podcast. If you have 154 00:08:56,710 --> 00:09:00,510 Speaker 1: any questions, send an email to chris2x at gmail.com, or 155 00:09:00,550 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: better yet, leave a comment on this episode at thebiblestudypodcast.com. 156 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:19,470 Speaker 1: And as always, thanks so much for listening. I want 157 00:09:19,490 --> 00:09:21,310 Speaker 1: to take just a second to thank the team at 158 00:09:21,390 --> 00:09:24,410 Speaker 1: Life Audio for their partnership with us on this podcast. 159 00:09:24,910 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: If you go to lifeaudio.com, you'll find dozens of other 160 00:09:28,460 --> 00:09:32,579 Speaker 1: faith-centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows about prayer, 161 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,459 Speaker 1: Bible study, parenting, and more.